"Of course I’d love to do Star Wars and work with JJ Abrams again because we had such a good time on Star Trek,” he says. “But nobody has been cast and there are no offers out to anyone apart from the regulars who are returning. So that’s that rumour quashed.”

This strange and interesting casting call has already sparked rumours that 'Star Wars VII' will feature an all-new Wookiee… or perhaps even the return of an old one. And it's easy to see why."Tall Man (Male, 21 - 60) Male, 7 ft to 7.3 ft tall with a slim/thin build and upright posture. Not too worked out or too 'thick set' especially in the shoulders. Broad facial features would be a bonus."Although the casting call is apparently listed for an 'Untitled Studio Feature' the producers are listed as Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk… so I wonder what movie that might be?Of course, the casting call itself is an interesting one - with original Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew measuring in at 7-foot 3-inches at his peak, it looks as though they may be looking for a new Wookiee… or even someone else to climb inside the Chewbacca costume.

I know many of us would love to see Peter Mayhew back as the original walking carpet, but after his recent double knee-replacement, that's looking increasingly unlikely. Especially since the casting call has already gone out during his recuperation.

Quote

Tomorrow I will be in a rehab facility much closer to home. I can stand and walk, but I have more conditioning work to do. #WookieeMuscle- Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) September 17, 2013

But does this new casting call mean that we'll be seeing more Wookiees in the 'Star Wars' universe or the return of Chewie?I have to admit, my money is on the return of the big guy himself. I mean, let's face it - Harrison Ford is almost certainly coming back for 'Episode VII' so why not bring back his first mate to accompany him? It certainly makes a lot of sense. And you know what they say - let the Wookiee win.

Saoirse Ronan has confirmed rumours that she has auditioned for a part in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'.Talking to Sky News the 19-year-old 'Hanna' star followed up her admission by adding that while she has auditioned, "so has everyone".It was rumoured last month that the Irish actress had read for the part of a female villain.

There is also the distinct possibility that she could play the daughter of Carrie Fisher's Leia and Harrison Ford's Han Solo, who are both all-but confirmed to reprise their roles alongside Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.Answering follow-up questions the actress remained tight-lipped, saying studio bosses would "chop off her head with a light-sabre".

Full production is expected to begin in early 2014, which is only a few months away. Announcements regarding casting can't be far off, even if LucasFilm, Disney and J.J. Abrams are keen to keep things shrouded in mystery.Casting rumours have been ten-a-penny all summer with Brits such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonathan Rhys Myers and David Oyelowo all linked to roles.

I was thinking about a Boba Fett origin story being one of the possible spin off films that could happen,and i realised that i really don't want to sit through the whole film listening to Jango Fett's accent,it makes me cringe in AOTC(and redubbed in Empire) as it is(Sorry Kiwi's)

-We WILL change your name to Jar Jar Abrams if you include that fucking Gungan

-No CGI C-3PO acting like a dick and hanging onto flying platforms

-If you are including the Solo/Skywalker kids then No Moody teenagers or 'cute'/cocky kids..it never works!!!(not sure what type of offspring that leaves actually)

-Enough of the things that connect Star Wars to Earth,like obnoxious Sports commentators or 1950s diners,Gridiron played with robots on the TVs.,.or even Rucksacks that are exactly the same as ours right down to where you hang the thing up!!(That always bugged me)..or stepping in dogshit on the street!!!

For anyone who didn't click through the link, the rules are as follows: 1. The setting is the frontier. 2. The future is old. 3. The Force is mysterious. 4. "Star Wars" isn't cute.

I love this. It really boils what worked and what didn't into simple points.

I would argue that we already started losing point 2 by the second movie. Not entirely, mind you, but A New Hope had a gritty, dirty feel (that was probably mostly a product of its small budget) that was already getting polished by Empire. I remember, even as a kid, being disappointed that things were shinier in Empire Strikes Back. It's part of the reason I think ANH is the best of the films.

And, of course, we were well on our way to losing 4 in the third movie. But at least the ewoks were dangerous.

For anyone who didn't click through the link, the rules are as follows: 1. The setting is the frontier. 2. The future is old. 3. The Force is mysterious. 4. "Star Wars" isn't cute.

I love this. It really boils what worked and what didn't into simple points.

I would argue that we already started losing point 2 by the second movie. Not entirely, mind you, but A New Hope had a gritty, dirty feel (that was probably mostly a product of its small budget) that was already getting polished by Empire. I remember, even as a kid, being disappointed that things were shinier in Empire Strikes Back. It's part of the reason I think ANH is the best of the films.

And, of course, we were well on our way to losing 4 in the third movie. But at least the ewoks were dangerous.

I think #4 is Lucas's greatest sin. He tried to make Star Wars too cute. If there was any major criticism for the original trilogy, it usually fell on the Ewoks. Of course the cute factor was mostly about selling toys to kids, so I can see why Lucas did that from a financial stand point. I do think that Star Wars works best as a frontier story but I always felt that the Empire was all shiny for a good reason. It was to contrast the Empire from the rebel Alliance. After all the Empire had far more resources than the Alliance to draw upon and oppressive regimes tend to do just that. Put a shiny new facade on things to show how much better things are under their control.

For anyone who didn't click through the link, the rules are as follows: 1. The setting is the frontier. 2. The future is old. 3. The Force is mysterious. 4. "Star Wars" isn't cute.

I love this. It really boils what worked and what didn't into simple points.

I would argue that we already started losing point 2 by the second movie. Not entirely, mind you, but A New Hope had a gritty, dirty feel (that was probably mostly a product of its small budget) that was already getting polished by Empire. I remember, even as a kid, being disappointed that things were shinier in Empire Strikes Back. It's part of the reason I think ANH is the best of the films.

And, of course, we were well on our way to losing 4 in the third movie. But at least the ewoks were dangerous.

I found it to be whiny and self-entitled. I agree, those were great aspects of the original trilogy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the original trilogy was great because of them.

I strongly disagree with the notion that Star Wars is a western. It's fantasy through and through. It's about sorcerers fighting each other with magical swords while saving the princess from the enemy castle. Saying that Star Wars is a western implies that Han Solo is the most important character in the original movies, which is quite a stretch. An important character, sure. Most important? Hell no!

I strongly disagree with the notion that Star Wars is a western. It's fantasy through and through. It's about sorcerers fighting each other with magical swords while saving the princess from the enemy castle. Saying that Star Wars is a western implies that Han Solo is the most important character in the original movies, which is quite a stretch. An important character, sure. Most important? Hell no!

I don't think that was the point. The point was that in a Western, you get tales in the outlying lands or the tiny frontier towns and the people who inhabit them, struggling to survive. You don't get stories set in New York City or even the bigger Western towns that were starting to crop up.

In Star Wars, the same should apply. The gritty, human characters on the frontier are more inherent to the archetypal tales that were being told originally than going to Coruscant, for example. I like that the city planet exists and is of utmost importance to the universe, but the fact that we're seeing stories in the frozen far-flung reaches of Hoth or the remote forest planet of Endor or the not-at-all-important dustball of Tatooine is the interesting bit (and making Tatooine too important in the prequels spoils that, IMO).

Quote from: th'FOOL on October 02, 2013, 01:40:56 PM

Quote from: Bullwinkle on October 02, 2013, 01:04:53 PM

For anyone who didn't click through the link, the rules are as follows: 1. The setting is the frontier. 2. The future is old. 3. The Force is mysterious. 4. "Star Wars" isn't cute.

I love this. It really boils what worked and what didn't into simple points.

I would argue that we already started losing point 2 by the second movie. Not entirely, mind you, but A New Hope had a gritty, dirty feel (that was probably mostly a product of its small budget) that was already getting polished by Empire. I remember, even as a kid, being disappointed that things were shinier in Empire Strikes Back. It's part of the reason I think ANH is the best of the films.

And, of course, we were well on our way to losing 4 in the third movie. But at least the ewoks were dangerous.

I found it to be whiny and self-entitled. I agree, those were great aspects of the original trilogy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the original trilogy was great because of them.

I don't think this is the point, either. It's not that the original trilogy was great because of these aspects. It's just that straying from these elements are what tainted the prequels.

I would add that studying the elements of story would be a good thing to go back to. Lucas was using key story archetypes in the first two films and started straying further and further away from those.